The Karl L. King Municipal Band of Fort Dodge anticipated a different and exciting season of summer concerts during the months of June and July in 2005.  With the renovation of the Karl King Bandshell in Oleson Park already in progress, there was a need to move the location of its traditional Sunday night concerts.  Therefore, the Karl King Band performed in front of the Fort Dodge Public Library.  This area, known to many residents as the City Square, was renamed Karl L. King Park several years ago by the Fort Dodge City Council.

It is indeed exciting to be playing in this park named after the band’s director for 50 years, commented Jerrold Jimmerson, current conductor of the Band.  For those of us who performed under Mr. King’s direction there, we will be seated almost exactly on the location where the former bandstand was.

The opening concert of the 2005 summer season featured patriotic music in observance of the Flag Day Holiday on June 14.  Marches included on the program were The Defending Circle and Loyal Americans by Karl L. King, Sabre and Spurs by John Philip Sousa, and Rough Riders Galop by King. The final march of the concert was everyone’s favorite, The Stars and Stripes Forever, by Sousa.

The evening’s overture was America: Overture on National Airs, arranged by T. M. Tobani.  This collection of melodies included American songs that have been associated with our country throughout its history.

On the lighter side was music from the popular Broadway musical, South Pacific, which was set during World War II; and the music of George M. Cohan in Star-spangled Spectacular.  Music from all five branches of the military were played during the Armed Forces Salute medley, and audience members and/or their families were invited to stand in recognition of military service.

Keith Alemeier, Assistant Conductor

James Perkins, solo trumpet player in the Band, was the special guest soloist for the evening.  Mr. Perkins performed the classic Frank Simon solo, Willow Echoes, and then was joined by fellow trumpeters Tim Miller of Humboldt and Harlan Vande Berg of Fort Dodge to perform the traditional trumpet trio, Triad.  Mr. Perkins attended St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, where he earned a B. S. degree in Music Education and his M. S. degree in Information Media.  He has performed over 500 concerts with Community Bands and Orchestras in South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa.  Currently he is the Principal Trumpet with the Central Iowa Symphony and the Central Iowa Brass Quintet, both located in Ames.  He has played with the King Band for the past 8 seasons, and currently works as the school librarian at the Urbandale Middle School, near Des Moines.

This special Flag Day concert closed with our National Anthem, The Star-spangled Banner.
 

True to the band’s tradition and heritage, this second concert of the summer season featured several marches, including Howdy Pap, and  Eternal Youth, along with the circus galop, Sunshine, all written by the band’s namesake, Karl L. King.  Also on the program were the marches, On The Mall, by Edwin Franko Goldman, and The Man Of The Hour, by Henry Fillmore.

Other selections included the overture, Raymond, by the French composer Ambroise Thomas, which has become one of the most popular in all of French opera.  The well-known hymn, God Of Our Fathers, written by George Warren in 1896, is the basis for the modern band arrangement by Claude T. Smith, which the band also performed.

Lighter sounds included a Dixieland Combo out front with the Band accompanying on a medley of songs entitled Original Dixieland Concerto.  This medley includes Jazz Me Blues, Ballin’ The Jack, and Original Dixieland One-Step.  Featured performers were Alan Bridge, Ardella Hein, Tim Miller, Dennis Anderson, Gary Evans, and Jeremy Smith.

Other recognizable selections performed included I’m Getting’ Sentimental Over You, Midnight in Paris, and Friend Like Me from Walt Disney’s Aladdin.

This special Father’s Day concert closed with our National Anthem, The Star-spangled Banner.

June 26

On Sunday evening, June 26, the Karl L. King Municipal Band of Fort Dodge, IA, presented a special concert of circus music.  Just before the performance, Chuck Reetz and his students presented a program of juggling.  Mr. Reetz is a Fort Dodge resident, and has been doing juggling for many years.  He also instructs classes locally for students to learn this skill.  Mr. Reetz and his students recently participated in the Frontier Days Parade, juggling their way along the entire parade route.

Since this concert was billed as A Night At The Circus, one would naturally expect the music to be largely influenced by the master of this type of music, Fort Dodge’s own Karl L. King.   The program featured much of his music used by circus throughout the world for clowns, dancing horses, acrobats and tumblers, trapeze artists, and wild animal acts such as elephants and lions.  His featured marches included The Center Ring; one of King’s most famous circus galops, The Big Cage, written for lion tamer Clyde Beatty; and his most famous march, Barnum and Bailey’s Favorite.  Other marches on the program were Entry Of The Gladiators by Fucik, The Screamer by Jewell, and Royal Decree by English.

View a short clip of Night in June.
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In addition, other King compositions performed were Princess Of India Overture, A Night In June serenade, the Chinese intermezzo Ung-Kung-Foy-Ya, a touch of ragtime with Kentucky Sunrise, and the trombone novelty, Mournful Maggie.  Karl King was also a master at writing beautiful aerial waltzes for the trapeze artists, so the concert also included what is perhaps his most famous of this style, In Old Portugal.

View a short clip of Mournful Maggie.
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The bright, fiery Latin standard, Cumana, written by Barclay Allen, and arranged for band by Iowan David Bennett rounded out the program.

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July 3

The Karl L. King Municipal Band of Fort Dodge, Iowa presented a special concert on Sunday evening, July 3, in honor of Independence Day.  The band moved from its performance site downtown to the grounds of the Fort Museum for this concert, where it performed behind the trading post.  We are very excited to team up with the Fort Dodge Dragoons to present this family night at the Fort, commented King Band director Jerrold Jimmerson.  There was something for everyone, with a concert by Will Lopes and friends following the King Band concert, and then fireworks at dark to top off the evening.

Selections on the King Band’s portion of the program included many patriotic songs in keeping with the holiday.  Marches included Karl King’s Emblem Of Freedom, along with Henry Fillmore’s Americans We, Fred Jewell’s E Pluribus Unum, and John Philip Sousa’s immortal The Stars and Stripes Forever.

Highlighting the evening was Morton Gould’s American Salute, based on When Johnny Comes Marching Home, along with a medley of American songs entitled Salute To The Patriots that reflects the history of this great country.   Familiar popular sounds included F. W. Meacham’s American Patrol, and a medley of movie and television songs by one of America’s finest composer, Henry Mancini.

Robert Patton was the special guest soloist for this evening's concert.  Mr. Patton is a well-known and popular vocalist in the area, having sung with the Karl King Band on numerous occasions, along with several other area performing groups.  Originally a native of Gowrie, he served with the Singing Sergeants in Washington D.C. for many years, performing at the White House on several occasions.  He is now the publisher of the Gowrie News, which has been in his family for several generations.

Mr. Patton performed several patriotic selections, including the George M. Cohan Patriotic Fantasy, Irving Berlin’s classic God Bless America, and the Carmen Dragon arrangement of America, the Beautiful.  The Star-spangled Banner closed the band’s concert.